the office jet printer can copy maria's dissertation in 16 min. the jet printer can copy the same document is 8 min if the two machines work together how long would they take to copy the dissertation

Combined rate

= 1/16 dis/min + 1/8 dis/min
= 3/16 dis/min

(3/16)*T = 1 dissertation
T = 16/3 = 5.33 minutes

To find out how long it would take for the two printers to copy the dissertation together, we can use the concept of their individual rates. Let's denote the rate at which the office jet printer copies the dissertation as r_1 (in dissertation per minute) and the rate at which the other printer copies the document as r_2 (in dissertation per minute).

From the given information, we know that the office jet printer copies Maria's dissertation in 16 minutes. So, its rate can be calculated as r_1 = 1/16 (since it copies one dissertation in 16 minutes).

Similarly, the other printer copies the same document in 8 minutes, so its rate can be calculated as r_2 = 1/8 (as it copies one dissertation in 8 minutes).

Now, to find the combined rate when the two printers work together, we can add their individual rates:

Combined rate = r_1 + r_2

= 1/16 + 1/8

= (1 + 2)/16

= 3/16

Therefore, the two printers copy the dissertation at a combined rate of 3/16 dissertations per minute.

To determine how long it would take for them to copy the dissertation, we divide the total work (1 dissertation) by the combined rate:

Time = Total work / Combined rate

= 1 / (3/16)

= 16/3 minutes, or approximately 5 minutes and 20 seconds.

So, working together, the office jet printer and the other printer would take about 5 minutes and 20 seconds to copy the dissertation.